External Module (Biomarker-MOD) of the CD-Laboratory for Innovative Gut Health Concepts of Livestock

The CD Laboratory for Innovative Gut Health Concepts of Livestock is divided into a main module at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna (CDL Head Prof. Quendrim Zebeli) and an external module at the IFA-Tulln of the BOKU. In this project, the factors influencing intestinal health in cattle and pigs are investigated. Special focus is on transition dairy cows and weaning piglets. The reasons for reduced intestinal health will be investigated, early indicators will be found and subsequently feed additives to prevent dysbiosis will be developed and tested. The external module represents a metabolomics platform to answer the questions of the project. In particular, biomarkers that provide information on intestinal health are to be found. The tasks of the external module include the development, validation and application of methods based on high-performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry for the determination of over 300 metabolites of the primary metabolism in various animal matrices such as rumen fluid, urine, faeces, blood, saliva and milk. In addition to targeted metabolomics analysis, non-targeted metabolomics workflows will be developed and subsequently tested for their robustness to discover new biomarkers. Furthermore, an in-house database with the compounds of the bovine and porcine metabolome is to be created. Different isotope labeling techniques such as the differential isotope labeling technique will be developed for the targeted derivatisation of compounds with specific functional groups to detect differences in the metabolome of sick and healthy animals or differently fed/treated animals. Finally, the most appropriate biomarker-matrix combinations will be used to test the efficiency of feed additives to maintain intestinal health in transitional dairy cows and weaning piglets.